1. Beachcomber and Stafford Afternoons
Carol Ann duffy
Beachcomber and Stafford Afternoons

2. Beachcomber
Who does a beachcomber do? How does the title reflect the meaning of the poem?

3. Beachcomber
How many stanzas are in the poem? Can you find any sound patterns? Consider the effect of the short lines.
Who is the narrator and who is she talking to?
What words show that it is important to remember?
What is the effect of the imperative forms in this poem?
What is the impression that you get of the child from the language used to describe them?
The longest line: “and then the platinum blaze of the sun as the earth seemed to turn away.” How is the content different to the other lines of the poem?
What is the effect of the repetition at the end of the fourth verse?
The last verse asks a question. What do you think the answer is and why?

4. Stafford afternoons
The title suggests a place and time. These are important themes. How do the first three verses begin?
What is the tone of the first three verses? How is the child feeling and how do you know?
Why does the child invent “a vivid lie” for herself and the horse?

5. Stafford afternoons
5. The metaphor in the fifth verse implies that the man is part of the forest. Do you think this is merely euphemistic or intended to suggest that the child doesn’t understand what is happening?
How could the idiom “to be eaten alive” apply to the end of the third verse?
In the fourth verse, how is personification used to create a sense of danger?
How does sound help us understand the child’s reaction to the man she/he sees in the forest?
Explain the metaphor at the end of the poem; “time fell from the sky like a red ball”.

6. Compare and contrast
How is the structure different in in Beachcomber and Stafford Afternoons and why?
Examine how Duffy explores connections with places in these poems.
What is the role of memory in these poems?
Create a timeline of all the poems we have analysed so far. If the line represents the poet’s life, where would these poems fit?